Even though Blakely Mattern and India Trotter are experts in their field, the girls they train have taught them much more than they expected.

"For a long time, I thought, 'Oh, I can help these kids,'" Mattern said. "But they’re helping me, and it's been actually the most humbling experience. This, and these kids, have changed me. I came in thinking I'm going to be this person that’s up on top — and I'm not."

Their "infused training method" combines technical skill practice with speed, strength and agility training, with the objective of increasing overall fitness and expertise as a supplement to regular team practices, Mattern said. They have 49 girls training with 11.11. With only two coaches, their capacity maxes out at 60 players.

Jeff Weidman has been bringing his 14-year-old daughter, Alana, to 11.11 for the last two years. The 90-minute sessions, which cost $75 apiece, have drastically changed his daughter's attitude both on and off the field, he said.

"Alana went from having no confidence at 12 to right now, when she's the captain of her team," Weidman said. "We've done other soccer camps, we've done other conditioning camps — there's nothing that parallels this."

Weidman said his daughter looks up to her 11.11 coaches — Alana's written papers about Mattern in school and will sometimes spend a half hour just talking to Trotter about what's going on in her life.

The duo's resumes are what originally drew him in, Weidman said. Trotter played on the U.S. women's national soccer team and Mattern played professionally for top division clubs in Europe before connecting and founding 11.11 in January 2016.

Their expertise as soccer professionals lends credibility to their program, Weidman said, but their personalities and energy keep his daughter engaged throughout every session.

"They play off of each other — they’re like yin and yang," Weidman said. "They’re way different but together they make each other whole. They're extremely knowledgeable and they want the best for Alana."

The goal going in, Trotter said, was to do what no one else in Greenville was doing. They were familiar with what was already available to club players and knew people could seek out technical coaching and strength training separately, but Trotter said she felt something was still missing.

"I had this idea: what if we married both?" Trotter said. "People pay for one or the other, and no one’s doing both at a high-quality curriculum."

In 2016, only eight girls came to train during their first week of sessions and before that, only one person (who happened to be Weidman) showed up to their open house.

Now, parents like Weidman won't stop recommending the training to others and referring new players to the program, Mattern said. They've amassed new clients entirely through word-of-mouth — and through their girls' change in performance.

"All the parents are saying, 'You’ve got to come here and you’ve got to do this,'" Mattern said. "And the girls, they’re playing so well that they can’t hide it. They’re making impacts on their team and everyone’s going, ‘Where do you train?’"

11.11 is already outgrowing its 4,500-square-foot facility on Industrial Drive, though Mattern considers that a good problem to have. They don't have plans to relocate any time soon, but they do intend to grow their collegiate recruiting service and expand the consulting side of their business.

Being entrepreneurs and learning to grow together has tested their professional and personal relationships on occasion, but Mattern and Trotter did agree on one thing: the work is much more meaningful than they anticipated.

Going in, they knew they'd be coaching, training and working on skill sets. They didn't foresee becoming role models and friends with the girls they'd train, and they definitely didn't imagine how 11.11 would build up character and confidence outside of sports.

"I knew if they did the things we were telling them to do, they were going to become better players," Trotter said. "I knew that for sure, because we had done them and we had had such successful careers. But as far as kids having confidence to speak up in class and be able to handle situations in life — no. We had no idea."